Wolf's statement came after Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton, 70, who collapsed while delivering his state-of-the-state address in St. Paul, disclosed earlier this week that he too had been diagnosed with prostate cancer.

Despite the fainting episode, Dayton, also a Democrat, said he felt fit to serve out the remainder of his term that runs until early 2018.

Other governors have also continued to work while receiving treatment for cancer.

Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, 60, a Republican, pledged in June 2015 to keep working despite chemotherapy for advanced cancer of the lymph nodes. California Governor Jerry Brown, 78, a Democrat, kept a full schedule in 2012 while receiving treatment for prostate cancer.